Madeira has become one of the ideal destinations for digital nomads in Europe over the past few years thanks to the ideal weather, amazing mountains, and great nomad community.
We’ve spent just under a year combined on this beautiful Portuguese island off the coast of Morocco – and we can highly recommend it to anyone wanting to work remotely from a relaxed but adventurous location!
In this post, we’ll go over everything you need to know about coming to Madeira as a digital nomad from where to stay, how to find accommodation, which travel insurance we recommend (SafetyWing), what to do in Madeira, and everything in between.
We also go over which communities to join and how to find and connect with other nomads, and then we share our honest opinion about Madeira to give you an idea of what to expect – and to help you figure out if this should indeed be one of the next digital nomad destinations you decide to spend some time in.
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What it’s like to be a digital nomad in Madeira
Whether you’re escaping winter, want to be surrounded by mountains, or just looking for the next place to call ‘home’ for a few months then Madeira is a great place to do it!
With multiple designated coworking spaces around the island, colivings, and tons of community events it makes for a great place to call home for a while (we’ve done it 4 times so we’re talking from experience).
It really has everything you need to enjoy life. We’ve raved about Madeira for so long now and we even got married here on the island in 2024 because we love it so much here!
Hopefully, this post will give you all the information you need to know about Madeira and the digital nomad life on the island.
Before going to Madeira
Let’s start out by covering all the practical stuff that’s great to sort out before you head off on your island adventure!
In this section, you can read about travel insurance, getting a sim card, how to find an apartment, how to join the nomad community, and all that jazz.
Get Digital Nomad Travel Insurance
One thing we never travel without as digital nomads (besides our laptops, lol) is travel insurance.
After nearly a decade of full-time travel, we’ve looked into A LOT of different travel insurances, and – in our opinion – SafetyWing is the one with the best coverage for the most affordable price. It’s flexible, affordable (starting at around $2 per day), and made for digital nomads, by digital nomads—so they actually get what long-term travellers need.
The beauty of SafetyWing is that they offer both travel and health insurance, so whether you need basic coverage or something more comprehensive for long-term travel, you should be able to get it through them. Check out SafetyWing’s plans here.
Get an eSIM for Madeira
If you plan to spend some time in Madeira and are coming from abroad, an eSIM is the cheapest and most convenient way you can get data in Portugal. You can purchase it beforehand and activate it literally the moment you step off the plane.
We have European phone plans so we don’t need eSIMs for Madeira but whenever we’re outside of Europe we always use eSIMs because of how convenient it is.
If you are coming from abroad, it’s definitely worth getting an eSIM. There’s a ton of different apps with eSIMs but we personally recommend Airalo.
📞 Want to save money on your data while travelling? Airalo is the world’s first eSIM store with eSIMs for over 200 countries and regions starting at $4.5 a month!
Where to stay in Madeira as a digital nomad
Since Madeira has grown so much in popularity for digital nomads, there’s a ton of different spots around the island you can stay in – each with its own community.
The original community popped up in Ponta do Sol which is on the south coast of the island. Here you’ll find a very close-knit community in a small town by the water and with a free coworking space.
Our personal favourite, though, is Funchal. In case you don’t know, Funchal is the capital of Madeira which means there’s great infrastructure and always something going on. Funchal is also on the south coast, east of Ponta do Sol and closer to the airport (just 20 minutes away).
Another popular spot for digital nomads is Machico which is a bit further east than the airport. Machico has one of two golden-sand beaches in Madeira and is close to lots of hiking trails. You’d think this would be our go-to spot but we’ve actually never stayed there as we like being in Funchal!
On the north side of the island, you have Porto da Cruz which is a little surf town with cool vibes. There isn’t a community here as such but you can find a coliving space there. The same goes for Santana which is another town just west of Porto da Cruz, also on the northern part of the island.
On the southern part of the island, there are also two other locations nomads tend to hang out (at least at coliving spaces) and those are Jardim do Mar and Calheta.
In general, the southern part of the island has the best weather and less-crazy waves in the ocean whereas the northern part of the island is a bit more secluded and with more beautiful mountain views!
Booking accommodation in Madeira
Accommodation on the island is going to be your most expensive monthly cost. So if you can scout out the different options beforehand to get an idea of what things cost, it will help you make a decision on what type of place you’re looking for – and where.
Long-term stays in Madeira
One of the best platforms for long-term stays on Madeira is Flatio! It’s like Airbnb but for digital nomads – and they’re located in a lot of different locations all over Europe (and expanding).
For Madeira, they probably have the best prices for long-term stays (1 month or longer) and a wide range of properties. Definitely check out Flatio for 1-2 month stays.
Coliving spaces in Madeira
Another great option to look into if you’re looking for a community in Madeira is coliving spaces. There are colivings all across the island so whether you’re looking to stay in Ponta do Sol, Funchal, Jardim do Mar, or even Porto da Cruz, you’ll be able to find a coliving space!
Some of the popular colivings are Banana House in Ponta do Sol, Outsite in Ponta do Sol, Nomadico in Jardim do Mar, and Alvada in Funchal. There are definitely quite a few more so look into some coliving spaces if you want to be surrounded by like-minded people on the island.
Also read: Full Guide to the Cost of Living in Madeira
Join Madeira’s Facebook Groups
There are a bunch of different Facebook Groups for Madeira from finding short-term accommodation to workout groups and everything in between. They’re good to join even a few weeks before so you have an idea what’s going on and if you want to connect with some people before even getting to the island.
Here are a few that might be interesting for you!
The Digital Nomad Community in Madeira is also mainly on Slack and WhatsApp so it’s also good to request to join the Slack community beforehand to see what’s going on. There you can also request to join the WhatsApp group.
On both platforms, you’ll find everything from airport pickups and workout classes to accommodation in Madeira and daily events!
Once you’ve arrived in Madeira
Coworking spaces in Madeira
Since Madeira has grown quite a reputation as a digital nomad hub that also means quite a few coworking spaces have popped up over the past few years. We’ve tested out the ones in Funchal and stopped by the one in Ponta do Sol to check it out!
Coworking Spaces Funchal
When we first went to Madeira, Coworking Funchal was the only coworking around so we spent quite a bit of time there. We love the shaded outdoor seating area (especially when it’s raining) and the location is great if you’re staying in Old Town Funchal.
The coworking space is huge and there’s lots of room to sit and work both inside and outside. The outside area ‘regular’ chairs whereas inside, you can find more erganomic chairs.
One thing to note is that the majority of the people that go here are locals and expats that go here and just a few nomads in between (so a cool way to make local friends).
In Funchal, there is also Sangha Cowork Funchal which is more in the São Martinho area (about 4 kilometers) which is actually where nomads (and expats) tend to live.
We personally prefer to stay in Old Town Funchal because of the accessibility to everything on the island, but if you stay in the São Martinho area, Sangha might be more convenient for you as your go-to coworking space!
There are also plenty of awesome cafes around Funchal that are laptop-friendly. Most cafés have wifi and I’d say about 90% of them will let you sit there and work on your laptop. Just ask nicely and you’ll be sweet!
Coworking Spaces in Ponta do Sol
Coworking Space Ponta do Sol is probably the most ‘famous’ coworking on the island because it’s located right in the town of Ponta do Sol which was kind of one of the first Digital Nomad hubs on the island – and it’s free to use!
If you love community and small-town vibes you should definitely look into Ponta do Sol.
Of course, coliving spaces also have community coworking areas if you’re looking for that. You will definitely not find a shortage of places to work from while you’re in Madeira.
📍 Want to know about all the best spots in Madeira?
Then check out our Madeira Maps with +135 locations around the island that we have personally visited and love! 🗺️
Social activities with other nomads
Saturday workouts in Funchal
This is our favourite weekly nomad activity in Funchal: The Saturday morning workouts! We’re usually not big fitness people or anything (although we do like a good workout sesh) but these workouts are so much fun.
This activity is hosted by Madeira Friends and they run this free workout session every Saturday at 10 am. It’s a 45-minute social workout for all fitness levels where most people go for a coffee and brunch or a swim in the ocean afterwards. It’s a great place to meet other locals and nomads!
Weekend group hikes
Almost every weekend, there will be a hike organized by Madeira Friends or one of the other nomad communities around the island. We’ve joined a few of these and it’s a great way to meet other people and go explore the island!
You’ll be able to find these hikes on Slack (register here) or WhatsApp (send a DM to Madeira Friends on Instagram to join). There are so many incredible hikes to do around the island so it’s definitely worth getting out and exploring it!
Also read: 12 of the Best Hikes to Do in Madeira
Live jam sessions
Usually on Tuesdays, there are meetups at Museu Café in Funchal where people go for a live jam session, meaning that anyone can go and play!
There’s usually a mic, guitars, and a drum set. If you’re into playing music it’s good and have a nice jam session! And if not, you can just go and enjoy the vibe and meet some cool people.
FAQs about being a digital nomad in Madeira
Do I need a car when visiting Madeira?
While you don’t need a car, it is really nice to have one. It really depends on where you stay, what your budget is, and how comfortable you are with driving.
If you’re staying in Funchal, you can usually manage without one as there are a ton of tour operators and public busses that all leave from the city. What we tend to do is to not have one for the entire duration of our stay but then just rent one for the day when we want to explore a more remote part of the island.
If you’re staying somewhere else on the island though, you probably will get quite restricted without having a car if you want to go explore the island and do a bunch of hiking.
Also read: How to Rent a Car From Madeira Airport
What are some of the downsides to being a digital nomad in Madeira?
While overall, we love it in Madeira, we’ll just briefly mention a few things that we personally felt were some downsides and a few things we’ve heard from other nomads. The most common one being the island fever!
A lot of nomads return to Madeira over and over but after a few months, they tend to get the ‘island fever’ which means they miss being in a bigger space and more connected to the rest of the world.
Since Madeira is a fairly remote island and the only way to go there (unless you’re on a cruise ship) is by plane, you’re really dependent on the airport which sometimes does close down for a few days because of bad weather (we’ve never had that happen to us, knock on wood).
The other thing for us personally is that, while the community is great, we have only met a handful of people that we would now classify as friends and stay in touch with when we’re not in Madeira.
Everyone is so kind and friendly but if we compare it to our favourite digital nomad community which is Bansko, we miss having/making really close friends in Madeira.
We think this could be because it’s all connected through the weekly events which all take place after work whereas Bansko is connected through the coworking spaces so there you see people all the time and friendships just form super quickly!
Again, those are just our two cents but we felt it’s good to share so you have all the goods and the less-goods from our personal experience in here.
You may also like…
- Full Guide to the Cost of Living in Madeira
- 7 Must-Have Apps for Your Trip to Madeira
- How to Rent a Car From Madeira Airport
- The Ultimate Travel Guide to Madeira
- 28 Best Things to Do in Funchal, Madeira
Recap of Digital Nomad life in Madeira
Madeira is one of our favourite places in the world! I mean, there’s a reason why we got married here!
We’ve fallen in love with this island because of the outdoors, the people, and just how relaxed and chill we feel being here. It’s such a great place to spend a few months in if you’re looking for a bit more of island life.
Madeira is so well-set up for nomads (a lot of whom have now turned into expats because they love the island so much) and it has everything you need from good infrastructure to coworking sessions, Slack & WhatsApp communities, and good involvement from the locals!
Feel free to reach out to us on Instagram @redwhiteadventures or leave a comment below if you want to know more about life as a digital nomad in Madeira. We’ve spent close to half a year on the island and love chatting with people about it.
We hope you get a chance to visit this beautiful Portuguese island and experience what all the hype is about!
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📍 Want to know about all the best spots in Madeira?
Then check out our Madeira Maps with +135 locations around the island that we have personally visited and love! 🗺️
